Ethiopia declares state of emergency as deadly protests continue

The Ethopian government on Sunday declared a state of Emergency following months of violent anti-government protests, especially in the restive Oromia region of the country.

“A state of emergency has been declared because the situation posed a threat against the people of the country,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said on state-run television on Sunday.

Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported that the state of emergency was a means to “deal with anti-peace elements that have allied with foreign forces and are jeopardising the peace and security of the country”.

Protests reignited this week in the Oromia region after dozens of people were killed in a stampede on October 2, with police firing tear gas and warning shots at a huge crowd of protesters attending a religious festival and the government has put the official death toll as 55.